LTD is like the Red Cross of luthiers. For those less fortunate than your average rock star, these chaps slim down the spec and build some guitars with serious kudos. Take the EC-50; it’s way more than the sum of its parts.

At this price there are going to be a few concessions to the spec. That’s OK. LTD knows where to trim and where not to. Firstly, the body is made from basswood. LTD has bolted a thin U-shaped maple neck onto the body. The neck is slim enough to accommodate those flash bastards who dash off speedy arpeggios while sticking their tongue out like a dog in heat.

When you consider the ESP LH- 150 pickups, warming the bridge and neck positions, then the Eclipse EC-50 must have a bit of tonal wallop.

With such a sartorial debt to the Les Paul, the EC-50 would be forgiven for being a dowdy wee copycat. But it’s no clone. Both tonally and ergonomically the EC-50 has a real feel of its own. The back is contoured and, in a brave concession to modern rock guitar playing, the upper fret access is fantastic - the cutaway is contoured allowing even the chubbiest hulk of a mitt up there.

Verdict

The LH-150 pickups are spunky little brutes: in the bridge position there is plenty of aggression; in the neck, as you’d expect, things warm up and some fantastic piano-esque clean tones will prove that you’re not just a reprobate.